This application claims the priority of 100 36 266.4, filed in Germany, Jul. 26, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a cooling container for vehicles. Preferred embodiments relate to a Cooling container for vehicles, which in use is arranged laterally next to a seat cushion of a vehicle seat and whose cooling compartment is accessible from the top through a container opening after a lid is opened, the cooling compartment being sufficient at least for accommodating one commercially available drinks bottle stored lengthways in it, and being of a depth which clearly exceeds the bottle diameter.
Preferred embodiments of the invention also relate to a cooling container for vehicles whose cooling compartment is accessible from the top through a container opening after a lid is opened, the cooling compartment being sufficient at least for accommodating one commercially available drinks bottle which is stored lengthways in it, but being of a depth which is too small to accommodate the upright drinks bottle below the closed lid.
German Patent Document DE 296 05 954 U1 discloses a cooling container of this type for vehicles, the cooling chamber of which is accessible from the top after a lid is opened. For a space-saving arrangement of the cooling container in the vehicle, the cooling container is preferably situated next to a vehicle seat, so that in principle it can be reached comfortably by the passenger. In this case, provision is made to arrange the cooling container as a central armrest, in which case the upper side of the lid forms the supporting surface of the armrest. The height of the cooling chamber in the container is dimensioned in such a manner that commercially available drinks bottles can be transported horizontally therein with the lid closed.
However, the accessibility to the drinks bottle in the cooling chamber can be made considerably more difficult if yet further objects which are to be cooled are stored above the stored bottle. In addition, drinks bottles which exceed the length of the cooling chamber cannot readily be transported in the known cooling container. The same is true of drinks bottles which, after opening, can be re-closed only inadequately, if at all, for example uncorked champagne or wine bottles, and may consequently leak when transported horizontally.
An object of the invention is to develop a cooling container of the generic type for vehicles yet retaining compact dimensions to the effect that the cooling container is also suitable for transporting relatively long, commercially available drinks bottles without any loss in the convenience of use.
This object is achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a cooling container for vehicles, which in use is arranged laterally next to a seat cushion of a vehicle seat and whose cooling compartment is accessible from the top through a container opening after a lid is opened, the cooling compartment being sufficient at least for accommodating one commercially available drinks bottle stored lengthways in it, and being of a depth which clearly exceeds the bottle diameter, wherein retaining means are arranged in the cooling compartment of the cooling container in order to secure the drinks bottle below a closed lid in a ready-to-hand storage position in which the drinks bottle extends obliquely upwards with its bottle neck toward an end region of the cooling compartment, which end region is arranged so that the bottle can be readily grasped.
This object is also achieved according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention by providing a cooling container for vehicles whose cooling compartment is accessible from the top through a container opening after a lid is opened, the cooling compartment being sufficient at least for accommodating one commercially available drinks bottle which is stored lengthways in it, but being of a depth which is too small to accommodate the upright drinks bottle below the closed lid, wherein a lid arrangement is provided as the lid of the cooling container, the lid arrangement being used in a closed position also to at least substantially cover the drinks bottle which protrudes upwards out of the container opening.
Further advantageous features of preferred embodiments of the invention are described herein and in the claims.
A drinks bottle is fixed in an approximately diagonal position in the cooling chamber by corresponding retaining means in such a manner that the bottle neck is proffered to the passenger in a position which is raised and is therefore particularly readily grasped. In this case, the diagonal arrangement means that the drinks bottle merely requires a cooling chamber which may be shorter than the bottle itself. In addition, the bottle neck which is arranged so that it is readily grasped remains more easily accessible, when the cooling chamber is loaded with additional items, than when the drinks bottle is in a horizontal position. The convenience in use is also increased by the fact that the opened drinks bottle can be transported upright in the cooling chamber while the cooling is maintained, in which case the problem-free accessibility is likewise ensured.
By designing the subject matter of the application in accordance with the features described herein, a combination is created through which the objects of the invention are achieved in a particularly advantageous manner.
In order to be able to axially secure drinks bottles of differing lengths in the cooling container, the retaining means provided for the bottle bottom are preferably spring elements which press the drinks bottle against the corresponding retaining means on the bottle neck.
If the retaining means provided on the bottle neck is designed as a forked support, the bottle neck can be secured against slipping in a simple manner on a projection which is preferably arranged on an end wall in the end region of the cooling container where the bottle can be readily grasped.
By means of the lid arrangement, which preferably comprises a sliding lid and a covering hood, the cooling container can be closed to the greatest possible extent in virtually any desired transporting position of the drinks bottle, so that the bottle contents remain cooled. The sliding lid can virtually completely be displaced from the covering region of the container opening in the direction of the end region of the cooling container, which end region is positioned so that the bottle cannot be readily grasped.
In order to maintain the cooling without excessive heat losses even when the drinks bottle is upright, the covering hood has a passage opening which can be widened or narrowed elastically and through which the drinks bottle can be put from above into the cooling container or removed therefrom. When the drinks bottle is upright, that region of the covering hood which bounds the passage opening fits closely against the bottle neck, so that the container opening remains closed to the greatest possible extent.
The trapezoidal geometry of the cooling container according to certain preferred embodiments enables the drinks bottle to be fixed diagonally in a simple manner, since the bottle bottom is supported against the rear end wall which is arranged inclined. In its upright position, the drinks bottle is supported against the front end wall, so that it is held to be substantially secure against tilting.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an arrangement of a cooling container in a rear seat bench in an illustration in longitudinal section, constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows an individual illustration of the cooling container according to FIG. 1 with an upright drinks bottle;
FIG. 3 shows a sectional illustration according to the line IIIxe2x80x94III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a sectional illustration according to the line IVxe2x80x94IV in FIG. 3 with a drinks bottle mounted diagonally and upright; and
FIG. 5 shows a perspective illustration of the diagonally mounted drinks bottle together with a leaf spring and a forked support in a cooling container for vehicles constructed according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention.